Matters of Control: Integration Tests, Naturalisation Reform and Probationary Citizenship in the United Kingdom

Kostakopoulou, Dora

doi:10.1080/13691831003764367

Cited by 77 publications

(49 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…Migrants who want to become British citizens now have to undertake a ‘journey’ (Home Office ) that begins with the application for citizenship and ends with receiving the British passport. At the core of the ‘journey’ are the language test and the citizenship test in which candidates have to answer a set of questions in order to prove their knowledge of British ‘history, culture and traditions’ (Kostakopoulou ; Schinkel and Van Houdt ). These new requirements have been analysed as a new paradigm in British immigration and integration policies (Joppke ; Ryan ; Vink and deGroot ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Deserving citizenship? Exploring migrants' experiences of the ‘citizenship test’ process in the United Kingdom

Monforte

Bassel

Khan

2018

British Journal of Sociology

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Since the early 2000s several European countries have introduced language and citizenship tests as new requirements for access to long-term residence or naturalization. The content of citizenship tests has been often presented as exclusionary in nature, in particular as it is based on the idea that access to citizenship has to be 'deserved'. In this paper, we aim to explore the citizenship tests 'from below', through the focus on the experience of migrants who prepare and take the 'Life in the UK' test, and with particular reference to how they relate to the idea of 'deservingness'. Through a set of in-depth interviews with migrants in two different cities (Leicester and London), we show that many of them use narratives in which they distinguish between the 'deserving citizens' and the 'undeserving Others' when they reflect upon their experience of becoming citizens. In so doing, they negotiate new hierarchies of inclusion into and exclusion from citizenship, which reflect broader neo-liberal and ethos-based conceptions of citizenship.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Deserving citizenship? Exploring migrants' experiences of the ‘citizenship test’ process in the United Kingdom

Monforte

Bassel

Khan

2018

British Journal of Sociology

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“…As we will see, this approach to equal rights for foreigners as an 'alternative' to naturalisation is similar to the so-called 'denizenship' model, where states grant equal economic, social, and certain -but not fullpolitical rights to foreigners, but without facilitated naturalisation. The most radical proposal in this camp is the automatic civic registration for all law-abiding legal residents (Kostakopoulou, 2006(Kostakopoulou, , 2010. According to such proposals, citizenship rights would be collective for all legal residents and membership would be self-declared by those who wish to claim it.…”

Section: Theorising the Link Between Naturalisation And Integration Pmentioning

confidence: 99%

Full membership or equal rights? The link between naturalisation and integration policies for immigrants in 29 European states

Huddleston

Vink

2015

CMS

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Traditionally, there are two contrasting views on the way states can use naturalisation and immigrants' rights policies to set out their broader agenda of immigrant integration. First, citizenship acquisition can be seen as complementary to the granting of social and political rights to immigrants, as a necessary step in the process of full integration in the political community. Whereas granting access to formal membership through naturalisation may instead be seen as an alternative to granting social and political rights, independent of citizenship status. In this paper, we analyse the relation between naturalisation and integration policies in 29 European states, looking at immigrants' rights in several areas of public life, such as political participation, anti-discrimination, education, the labour market and family reunion. We find strong empirical evidence in Europe that extending membership and rights are generally used as complementary, rather than alternative, means to immigrant integration. While our analysis does not invalidate the 'alternative' view as a normative stance, it does suggest that it comes with political constraints as, in practice, it is rarely practiced in Europe.

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“…Rutter et al (2007) found that although individuals may become British citizens, they may still identify themselves as being refugees, at least partly due to feelings of rejection by the host society. For example, government efforts to encourage refugees to become British citizens have been hampered by practical issues, such as costs (Levesley 2008;Kostakopoulou 2010), which can foster feelings of rejection among refugees and affect long-term integration. As such, Jurado (2008) argues that multi-ethnic societies should focus upon the tool approach which prioritises the role of equality and participation rather than the language and identity of the reward model.…”

Section: Refugee Integration and Citizenshipmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seeking Safety beyond Refuge: The Impact of Immigration and Citizenship Policy upon Refugees in the UK

Emma¹,

Mulvey²

2013

Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies

100

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Western states are concerned about maintaining and securing national borders. Across Europe, one response has been to implement restrictive asylum regimes that prevent 'bogus' applicants and grant refuge only to the 'deserving'. Alongside these concerns, states are eager to encourage socially cohesive communities. One recent tool adopted by the UK government has been citizenship policy, including English language/life in the UK tests and citizenship ceremonies. By drawing upon in-depth interviews with refugees in Scotland (UK), this paper explores the impact of the current asylum regime and citizenship policies from the perspective of individual voices that are often absent from wider debates. It explores how temporary refugee status impacts upon individuals' everyday lives including employment and education, and impacts upon children. The data also question the reasons for refugees deciding to become British citizens (or not) and highlight instrumental reasons alongside less tangible factors such as gaining a sense of security. Taking the discussion forward, the study explores some unintended consequences of immigration and citizenship policies in the UK. The research suggests that not only do restrictive asylum policies negatively impact upon refugees and their integration but also serve to elevate fear and uncertainty, which can unintentionally spur individuals to seek naturalisation.

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Matters of Control: Integration Tests, Naturalisation Reform and Probationary Citizenship in the United Kingdom

Cited by 77 publications

References 15 publications

Deserving citizenship? Exploring migrants' experiences of the ‘citizenship test’ process in the United Kingdom

Deserving citizenship? Exploring migrants' experiences of the ‘citizenship test’ process in the United Kingdom

Full membership or equal rights? The link between naturalisation and integration policies for immigrants in 29 European states

Seeking Safety beyond Refuge: The Impact of Immigration and Citizenship Policy upon Refugees in the UK

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